The emergence of electronic devices such as smart-phones, tablets and portable computers has resulted in an increase in demand for high performance integrated circuits (ICs). These electronic devices are continually moving toward higher functionality and size miniaturization. In order to keep up with this trend, IC packages are becoming smaller, thinner and more compact.
It is possible to reduce the size and thickness of IC packages by increasing wiring density and reducing the thickness of substrates used in IC packages. However, as substrate thickness is reduced, the substrate becomes more prone to damage (such as cracks or dents) during handling and subsequent assembly process steps. This is especially prevalent when the material used for the substrate has a high flexural modulus (in order to achieve a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)). This is more apparent as the size of the substrate increases to accommodate more device units on each substrate in order to reduce manufacturing cost.
A need therefore exists to provide a semiconductor structure and a method of fabricating the same that seeks to address at least one of the abovementioned problems.